As promised, the December 2012 Big Chill vendors are posted here! And we couldn’t be happier. We saw a lot of familiar names coming in the mail along with a host of fresh, new applicants to The Big Chill. We’re so psyched to bring you all this good art just in time for the gift-giving-season!

Ok, fabulous artists and crafters! Our deadline for applications in our hands is Wednesday, October 31st so make sure you send in your applications ASAP! Also, please feel free to leave your application in our mailbox if you’re local. We’ll have our vendors announced on November 1st so you don’t want to be late!

It’s official! The 2012 Big Thaw vendors have been announced and listed right here. Before you get going browsing these talented people while you should be doing real work at your desk (guilty as charged) I’d like to let y’all know that each vendor is featured once on the blog between now and the Big Thaw (Saturday, May 12 – the day before Mother’s Day!)

If you enter your email and click ‘Sign me up!’ at the bar on the right hand side you won’t miss a thing. We promise to pack the spotlights full of big, beautiful pictures and not too much of the babbling.

The Big Thaw will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2012 from 10am-4pm at the Mayo Street Arts Center at 10 Mayo St. in Portland, ME. Can’t wait to see you there! It’s the day before Mother’s Day – hard to forget!

Yes. It’s here! Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson have done it again: The Big Thaw 2012 poster is here. Printing commences and soon you’ll be seeing these beautiful posters all over Portland. Prints will be available for sale online (TBA) as well as at The Big Thaw on Saturday, May 12th (the day before Mother’s Day) from 10-4pm at the Mayo Street Arts Center, 10 Mayo St. in Portland, ME.

Vendors have been selected and we will be posting the list for your enjoyment very, very soon. Between now and May we will have frequent features to show you all the amazing talent we are hosting! Now off to enjoy this sweltering March evening… Thaw, indeed!

Hi, all! Just a reminder that applications close in one week – yikes!! So if you’ve been meaning to pop yours in the post – now’s the time! Click the ‘apply’ tab at the top of the page to download the application and directions in .pdf form.

Good morning, internet! We were browsing new work from past Big Thaw vendors and saw the above from Quercus Design, based out of Bar Harbor, Maine. Jennifer Booher of Q.D. was a vendor at the inaugural Big Thaw last April, 2011 at Mayo Street Arts. Beautiful work, Jennifer!

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There have been some questions regarding applications, so let’s go over them here so everyone’s in-the-know!

1. Yes, you can submit your payment for the vendor fee via Paypal. Please email me at thebigthawportland [at] gmail dot com for how to do this.

2. Yes, you can email your application if that is easiest for you!

3. The original .pdf we put up didn’t have the mailing address for applications: woops. Problem solved! But if you are wondering, all application documents are now correct with all the information you’ll need.

4. Yes, we love help where future vendors can offer it! Because The Big Thaw is organized on a shoestring budget (vendor fees basically cover the venue and our beautiful posters) help in any form is greatly appreciated: marketing, hanging posters, photographs of the event for future marketing, connections at local businesses where we can put our posters in ‘prime’ locations, newspaper features, tv interviews, knighthood by Queen Elizabeth, you know — that stuff.

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So exciting! The Big Thaw will be happening on Saturday, May 12, 2012 (which is the day before Mother’s Day) so we are hopeful for a big shopping day of children, big and small, young and old finding the perfect something for their Mama. Thanks to everyone who’s applied already, and for everyone else: keep those applications coming in!

Applications will be open from Wednesday, February 1st through Wednesday, February 29th. Space is limited and we try to accommodate as many applicants as possible by working together! We love shared tables (got a crafty friend?) and we try to consider all factors when planning the line-up/layout of the event. Please contact Audrey at: thebigthawportland at gmail dot com if you have any detailed questions.

The Big Thaw will be held at the Mayo Street Arts Center, as always, with a wine, beer and snack bar and local music sounding from the rafters. Yayyy! We can’t wait!